EGYPTIAN Omar Assar has set a new standard for Africa in table tennis as he is now ranked 21st in the world according to the latest rankings released by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
Assar moved ten places to place number 21 in the world, just as the feat made him the first African to attain that level.
An elated Assar told ITTFAfrica.com that his target remains to be among the top 15 in the world this year.
“I feel very proud to reach such a high ranking level. Earlier this year, one of the goals I set for myself was to reach the top 20 in the world. My next target is to continue to improve and I am setting a new target of ending the year in top 15 and what I just need to do now is to continue to work hard. I am sure that this is possible with more training,” said the Werder Bremen of Germany player.
“I must also admit that it was not easy at all for me to achieve such high rank in the world because I put pressure on myself to achieve this and I was practising more than of last year. The quality of my training was also different and also I had to change my practice method as well.
“I am more tactical now and also I am training my body movement after my result at the Africa Cup. I was a bit satisfied with my performance at some of the tournaments I had attended after the Africa Cup in Morocco, so it was the pressure I put on myself by doing something extra that paid off.”
Assar stated that he has been kept on his toes by fellow African opponents such as Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri.
“I am sure it is not easy because there is also Aruna Quadri who is a good player and working hard. It has always been a challenge for both of us, as we try every time to be ahead of each other in the rankings. This is indeed a healthy rivalry because our aim is to be among the top 10 in the world,” he added.
Assar further advised budding players on the continent to be up and doing in order to realise their dreams too.
“Unfortunately there is a clear gap between the senior and junior African players. The gap between Aruna and I with other players has clearly shown that others are outside the top 100. I think they must follow the footsteps of better players because Aruna Quadri and I started early when we were young.
“We tried to compete with the best and we were not satisfied with our African titles. We wanted to do something internationally and this is the goal for every player right now. As a junior player, I will advise that even you try to copy what others are doing in your daily practice or you change your environment to a new table tennis environment, you must be ambitious and not be complacent. I believe this will give you chance to be a better player than what you are on a daily basis,” Assar, winner of the just-ended Nigeria 2017 Open said.
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